MUMBAI: Making India proud, Indian origin pop sensation RIKA aka (Chandrika Darbari) won the Rising Star Award in London.

Born to a Serbian mother and an Indian father, RIKA’s music draws upon her multicultural upbringing. In 2016, she penned and performed the song For Peace in Syria with her brother. The video was shot in Delhi and received over 900,000 views on YouTube. RIKA has grown up in North-West London and is one of a few to break into the vibrant Western music scene as a British-Asian artist. 

Being the first teen Asian-British artist to be signed by Virgin EMI Record Labels, she joins the likes of young international superstars like Taylor Swift, Justin Beiber, Katy Perry, Shawn Mendes, Rihanna and Kanye West, who were also signed during their early teens and further went on to become global stars.

On receiving the honour, RIKA said in a statement, “I feel honoured and humbled to get recognition from my community, being Indian is really important to me. It gives me the opportunity to represent my community in mainstream music. Being 18 years old and standing up at this stage, getting support is the moment I will cherish forever.”

In addition to the winners, other notable guests in attendance included personalities like  Anjli Mohindra, singer Beverley Knight, film director Gurinder Chadha, Lisa Haydon, Television and radio presenter Seema Jaswal Christie and previous honouree Naughty Boy.

The Asian Awards is an annual award ceremony for the global Asian community, which takes place in the United Kingdom, with 14 categories that include business, philanthropy, entertainment, culture and sport. Nominees are selected by an independent judging panel initially co-chaired by Baroness Verma and Nat Wei, Baron Wei then from 2014 onwards Karan Bilimoria, Baron Bilimoria.

The Asian Awards is the only Pan Asian Pan Sector Awards ceremony in the world, which acknowledges Asian success. Previously, celebrities like Shahrukh Khan, Irrfan Khan, Anupam Kher, Zayn Mallik have been bestowed with this award. The award majorly is given for bringing together both western and eastern cultures in a modern way.